Corn-planter.



Patented May l3. I902.

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

No. 699,754. Patented May l3, I902. L. P. GRAHAM.

CORN PLANTER.

(Application filed Jan. 23, 1902.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

- der side of the feeder-disk.

Urrnn 'rarns PATENT @unrcn.

LEVI P. GRAHAM, OF DECATUR, ILLINOIS.

CORN-PLANTER.

SEE-6L NATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 699,754, dated May 13,1902. Application filed January 23, 1902. Serial No. 90.946. (No model.)

To (aZl 'whmlt it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LEVI P. GRAHAM, of the city of Decatur, county ofMacon, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Corn-Planters, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to the dropping mechanism of seedhoxes, commonlycalled first drops, and its general object is to insure proper fillingof the seed-cells of the droppingwheel. a

The invention concerns dropping'mechanism in which flat grains arereceived edgewise each in a single cell. One of its functions is toforce the grains into the path of the seed-cells and another function isto tilt fiat grains from a horizontal position toward a verticalposition, so that they will drop edgewise into the seed-cellspreparatory to being carried to the discharge-opening therefor. The seedis fed into line with the path of the seed-cells by a feeder-plate abovethe seedwheel moving horizontally to and from the seed-cells while thewheel rotates, and the tilting effect is produced by combined inclinedplane action and the horizontal motion of the feeder-plate to and fromthe cells. The tilting mechanism comprises a wall or barrier alongsideone side of the path of motion of the cells and a feeder-plate above theseed Wheel having horizontal motion to and from the cells on the sidethereof opposite the barrier. Either the barrier or the movable plate isbeveled upward and away from the cells to form a tilting incline, andthe operation consists in bringing the feeder-plate so close to thebarrier that the grains between are forced by the incline out of ahorizontal position and so nearly vertical that they will readily falledgewise into the cells and then separating the feeder-platefrom thebarrier to receive other grains.

The invention is exemplified in the structure hereinafter described, andit is defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings forming part of thisspecification, Figure 1 is a plan ofseed-dropping mechanism embodying the preferred form of my invention.Fig. 2 is a vertical section on line X in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan ofthe un- Fig. 4. is a crosssectional diagram illustrating the operationof theseed-tilting mechanism and showing the mechanicalprincipleinvolved. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional diagram illustrative of amodification of the invention. Fig. (3 isaplan diagram showing how thefeeder-disk moves to and from the seed-cells as the seed-wheel rotates.

A seedbox is shown at 1.

At 2 is shown the outer rim of the bottom plate of the seedbox. Thecentral partofthe bottom of the seedbox is shown at 10, and it isconnected with the annular rim 2 by bridges 11. The inner surface of thelower part of rim 2 is vertical, as shown at 3 in Figs. 2 and 4. Aseed-wheel 6 has cells 7 in its outer edge, and its perimeter conformsto the vertical wall 3 of rim 2. A plate 4 is secured beneath theseed-wheel audits outer edge 4 forms a bottom for the seed-cells, exceptat 5, where it is cut away to form a discharge-opening. A bolt 12connects plate 1 with a boss on the under side of the central plate 10of the seedboxbottom. A circular disk 13 journals on thedownward-extending boss of plate 10, which is eccentric with theseed-wheel, and the perimeter of the disk is smooth and beveled upwardand inward to form a grain-tilting incline. The under surface of thedisk is re* cessed, and a radial rib 14: is formed in the recess. A stud8 rises from the seed-wheel and bears slidably against the rib 14. Theseed-wheel may be rotated by force applied through teeth 9 or otherwise,and the stud 8 imparts rotary motion from the wheel to the disk bybearing against the rib and sliding lengthwise thereof as the wheeltravels around. A cut-off 15 has bearings in a vertical housing 16,located over the dischargeopening 5, and it is held to its Work by meansof a spring 18. A bolt- 17 secures the 110115 ing 16 to an upwardextension of rim 2. The disk 13 has its closest approach to theseedcells at a point opposite the cut-off, andthere is space around thecut-off between rim 2 and the disk to permit free passage of corn.

The vertical surface 3 of rim 2 is coincident with the outer walls ofthe seed-cells, or approximately so, and it constitutes a barrier thatprevents seed on the seed-wheel from passing outward beyond the path ofthe,

cells. The perimeter of the lower surface of the disk runs close to theinner edges of the would force the sector of disk 13 around with thewheel and the wheel would carry the grain a. The eccentricity of thepivot of the disksector would cause the swinging end of the sector totravel outward on the seed-wheel as the rotation progressed, firstengaging the grain and then moving it outward on the seedwheel, and bythe time seed-cell reached the position shown by closely-dotted linesthe grain would be pressed against the barrier 8. Further rotation ofthe seed wheel would cause the lower outer edge of the disk-sector toforce its way under an edge of the grain, raising it gradually byinclined-plane action and causing it to drop into the cell before itreached the position shown in broken lines. In Fig. 4 the grain a andthe nose of the disk are shown at their greatest distance from the cellsand the barrier by means of dotted lines, and in solid lines the grainis shown tilted into position to fall into the cell 7. In Fig. 4 theradial or reciprocating action of the disk is illustrated, and in Fig. 6the radial action is shown combined with retary motion. As soon as thecell travels past the position shown in broken lines in Fig. 6 thedisk-sector, then at its nearest approach to the barrier, begins torecede from the barrier and continues to do so until it reaches theposition shown in solid lines and begins another approach movement.

The eccentrically-pivoted sector (shown in Fig. 6) constitutes anoperative feed for the single cell of the seed-wheel; but there areseveral cells in an operative or practical seedwheel, each of whichneeds a feeder and tilter, and the different tilters for the severalcells combine in practice to form a complete disk.

The motion of the tilter to and from the barrier-wall is the essentialone; but the rotary movement of the disk is useful apart from itsconvenience, as it helps to carry the grains along on the seed-wheelagainst the retard ing action of the barrier and draw them into thenarrow space between the disk and the barrier, where their edgewise tiltinto the cells is assured.

The feeding action of the disk may be increased by increasing theeccentricity of the pivot of the disk, and the tilting action may beextended around a larger part of the circumference of the seed-wheel bymaking the disk larger and running it more nearly concentric with theseed-wheel.

The cut-off 15 is opposite the nearest approach of the disk to thebarrier-wall, and this is the preferred arrangement, although therelative location of the cut-off may be varied somewhat without makingthe device inoperative.

In Fig. 5 the barrier is shown beveled instead of the disk, and thismodification is suggestive of variations that may be made in theconstruction without departing from the principles on which theinvention is based.

The means employed to drive the feederplate from the wheel is placedunder the plate to protect it from the corn.

The part of the perimeter of the disk that opposes the barrier ispreferably made smooth to avoid grinding the grains.

All of the vertical surface 3 of rim 2 that is within the width of agrain of corn of the perimeter of the feeder-disk constitutes thebarrier that coacts with the feeder in bringing the grains in line withthe seed-cells and uptilting them. The remainder of the vertical wall isinoperative so far as this invention is concerned.

Each seed-cell has its own feeder. The disk constitutes as many feedersas there are cells, and while the disk as a whole maintains aninvariable relation to the seed-wheel and the barrier the differentfeeders are continually approaching and receding from the barllel.

In a generic sense the invention is disclosed in Figs. 4 and 5 of thedrawings, and its embodiment comprises a dropping-plate having a celladapted to receive a grain of corn, a barrier on one side of thecell,and a feeder on the opposite side of the cell movable toward andfrom the barrier and the intervening cell. Either the feeder or thebarrier is beveled to form an uptilting incline for the grain of corn,and the operation consists in moving the feeder away from the barrier topermit the grain of corn to lie on the dropping-plate and then movingthe feeder toward the cell and the barrier to uptilt the grain into thecell. In Fig. 6 of the drawings the back-andforth movement of the feederis combined with rotary motion in the cell and the feeder. The barrieris relatively stationary, and the compound motion of the feeder causesthe feeder to approach the barrier obliquely.

I claim 1. In dropping mechanism for seedboxes, the combination of adropping-plate having a seed-receiving cell, a barrier on one side ofthe cell, and a feeder-plate on the opposite side of the cell movabletoward and from the barrier and the intervening cell.

2. In dropping mechanism for seedboxes, the combination of adropping-plate having a seed-receiving cell, a barrier on one side ofthe cell, and a bevel-edge feeder-plate on the op posite side of thecell, movable toward and from the barrier and the intervening cell.

3. In dropping mechanism for seedboxes, the combination of a seed-wheelhaving a seed-receiving cell, a barrier on one side of the cell, and afeeder on the opposite side of the cell movable radially of the wheeltoward and from the barrier and the intervening cell.

4. In dropping mechanism for seedboxes, the combination of a rotatableseed'wheel having-a seed-receiving cell, a stationary barrier alongsideone side of the path of motion of the cell, and a feeder on the oppositeside of the cell movable toward and from the cell and rotating with theWheel; the movement of the feeder being so timed that the nearestapproach of the feeder to the cell occurs when the cell is adjacent tothe barrier.

5. Dropping mechanism for seedboxes, comprising a seed-Wheel havingcells, a feederdisk journaled above the seed-wheel eccentric with thepath of motion of the cells, and a barrier alongside the cells, oppositethe nearest approach of the feeder-disk to the cells.

6. Dropping mechanism for seedboxes, comprising a seed-wheel havingcells, a beveledge tilt-disk pivoted above the seed-wheel inside thepath of motion of the cells and eccentric With such path, and abarrierontside the cells, opposite the nearest approach of the tilt-diskto the cells.

7. Dropping mechanism for seedboxes, comprising a seed-wheel havingcells, a tiltdisk jonrnaled above the seed-wheel inside the path ofmotion of the cells and eccentric therewith, means for rotating the diskin the same direction as the rotation of the wheel, and a barrieroutside the cells opposite the nearest approach of the disk to thecells.

8. Dropping mechanism for seedboxes, comprising aseed-wheel havingcells, a beveledge disk with an unbroken perimeter pivoted above theseed-wheel eccentric therewith, and means, covered by the disk, fortransmitting motion from the seed-wheel to the disk.

9. Dropping mechanism for seedboxes, comprising a seed-wheel havingcells, a feederdisk pivoted above the seed-wheel eccentric therewith,and a radially-slidable connection between the under side of the diskand the upper side of the wheel, such connection being entirely coveredby the disk.

10. Dropping mechanism for seedboxes, comprising a seed-Wheel havingcells, a tiltdisk jonrnaled above the seed-wheel eccentric therewith, aradial rib on the under side of the disk and a stud projecting upwardfrom the wheel into engagement with the rib.

l1. Dropping mechanism for seedboxes comprising a box-bottom having adischarge opening, a seed wheel having cells adapted to dischargethrough the opening in the bottom of the box, and a feeder-plateapproaching the cells and receding therefromat a point non-coincidentwith the discharge-opening of the seedbox.

12. Dropping mechanism for seedboxes comprising a seed-wheel havingcells, a feederdisk smaller than the circle described by the cells andpivoted eccentric with such circle, and a cut-ofi in the wide spaceformed by the eccentricity of the disk.

In testimony whereof I sign my name in the presence of two subscribingwitnesses.

LEVI P. GRAHAM.

Witnesses:

INA GRAHAM, NORA GRAHAM.

